


Full Circle Around the Detour

by Merfilly



Series: Slip In Time Pern AU [10]
Category: Dragonriders of Pern - Anne McCaffrey
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-01
Updated: 2013-11-01
Packaged: 2017-12-31 03:48:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,187
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1026897
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Merfilly/pseuds/Merfilly
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's time for the Hatching, and Canth at least is positive Lessa will Impress.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Full Circle Around the Detour

**Author's Note:**

> To those who have read this series, I thank you. I am grateful for the kudos, the comments, and the support.

The day of the hatching brought Larna herself to gather the Candidate and her parents, as F'lon had gone to collect the Master Harper and his wife. The retired Weyrwoman looked at Kale and Adessa with appraising eyes; she looked forward to Manora's assessment of them. Blood did have a way of telling, sometimes, and all three parents of the brown rider were concerned over his choice of such a young mate.

"Morning, Lady and Lord Holder," Larna called. "Young Lessa, a pleasure to see you under less strained circumstances."

"It is an honor to meet the Weyrwoman who brought Benden Weyr back to our shores," Adessa greeted the other woman as Kale gave a short bow.

"We are thankful you granted Lessa the concession to stay here as long as she could; the Hold is nearly set to rights under her managing hand," Kale said, praising his daughter to hide the lump of worry and fretfulness. His only girl, nor did he or Adessa think it wise to seek new breeding women when they had such work to do still for their sons.

That spoke well of Lessa, that with riding in her future, she'd worked hard for her Bloodline. Larna kept that in mind, and spoke to Tallorth. "Tallorth, would you please?"

The queen shifted, down as low as she could get with her leg canted to make it easier. "Lady Adessa, if you'll take the straps, use them to come up her as if she were a ramp," Larna instructed.

"My apologies… Tallorth, and my gratitude," the Lady of Ruatha said before doing so with as much grace as she could muster. Kale, who'd ridden before, managed a decent ascent before Lessa took the end place behind her father. That amused Larna, but only reinforced that in Ruatha, at least, women took more equality for themselves.

"Away we go…"

`~`~`~`~`

Canth had his place among the guardian dragons inside the Hatching Ground, his hum feeling more vibrant than ever before, or perhaps it was just F'nor's own anticipation.

 _You were not this loud for K'nor's Impression,_ F'nor teased his brown, mentioning his own son.

 _Plienth was not to be mine,_ Canth pointed out. 

_True._ K'nor and Plienth were a steady brown pair at Ista now, and F'nor was proud of them for succeeding so well despite Impressing nearly as young as F'nor himself had.

F'nor turned his attention to the Candidates in their white tunics being led in by F'lar now. Lessa stood out to F'nor's eyes, so dainty and yet larger than life in her mental presence.

 _She will Impress,_ Canth said firmly.

"The dragon chooses," F'nor said aloud, but his dragon had cut to the heart of the nervousness. Would the young queen see Lessa, hardened to the darker necessities of life, as a partner?

`~`~`~`~`

The girls ranged loosely around the egg at the center of the Hatching Ground, proudly displayed for all to see. The queen mother was at the back of the grounds, watching and warbling at the rocking, cracking eggs. The other young women, aged sixteen Turns to nearly twenty Turns, seemed a lot more nervous than Lessa felt. Still, if she was going to be generous, none of them had probably been in contact with dragons so often. Privately she thought the Telgar blonde was more likely to one day ride, out of all of them, given that she was bringing herself under control.

A shattering sound off to one edge and the crowd became noisier than the dragons, cheering the emergence of a blue who made his choice within heartbeats. Lessa let herself watch two more, a pair of greens, before focusing on the golden egg. It rocked lazily, disturbing the ring of sand it set within, and Lessa almost reached out with her gift to see why she was less impatient than the other eggs.

The crack of an egg near, just behind Lessa, diverted her attention and she saw another little green emerge. F'nor had told her that greens made up half of the Weyr population, and this Hatching seemed to be living up to that. She watched as the little green shook off egg shards and then stretched her neck and wings out to try and dry them swiftly. Such a pretty shade, and the flare of orange and red in the eyes only stood out the more for that backdrop.

_I am Ramth. Why are you so far away? I am hungry and you are supposed to feed me._

The snippy, imperious tone in Lessa's mind almost made her giggle… until she realized it was crystal clear, not slightly dimmed like talking to dragons usually seemed. She gasped and stared up into those whirling, dangerous eyes, realizing that there was so much more than just a voice.

Hunger assaulted her, as bad as any long winter trapped in the snows of the upper range, and Lessa broke away from the other Candidates to reach for Ramth. The green accepted the physical contact, and Lessa remembered what she'd been taught. As she led the dragon toward the waiting food buckets, she called out as clearly as she could.

"Her name is Ramth!"

`~`~`~`~`

"Not quite what I expected," F'nor breathed as he watched the new pair move on, forcing himself to stay put to finish watching the Impressions.

 _She rides. That is all that matters. She is a fighter, fierce like a green, not protective like a gold,_ Canth reminded.

"Point." F'nor winced as the blonde from Telgar did call out 'Prideth' on the sands; she would be one to teach and guide carefully, more sensual than the typical queen rider. That had been one F'nor expected to appeal to the greens. Soon, though, only shards remained on the sands, and the guests were filing out to investigate the Feast, or greet the new riders.

As one of F'lar's two wingseconds, F'nor was expected to make the rounds of all of the new riders. He wanted to go check on Lessa, but duty first. Mentally mapping a path that ended at her, he did greet each new rider, enjoying the way they straightened to their honorifics.

Then he was with her, and his eyes investigated her face before he appraised the dragon. They both looked at ease with the situation, so he finally spoke. "Green rider Lessa," he said, voice rich and proud.

"Wing Second F'nor, rider of Canth… this is Ramth." Lessa's eyes danced merrily. 

"My duty to you, Ramth, and to your rider," F'nor said, as the situation's humor fully lightened his heart. Somehow, he thought Canth's green-chasing would end the minute this green matured into her first flight.

 _Maybe,_ his dragon said, causing Lessa to cock her head at F'nor, wondering about the comment.

F'nor did not enlighten her, nor did Canth.

"Let's get Ramth to the barracks, and then I will wine you, dine you, and dance with you until the night ends," F'nor told the woman he wished to have as his weyrmate.

"Oh, I think we'll have plenty of nights like that, F'nor," Lessa agreed, before they did just that.

**Author's Note:**

> When I set out to write this series, I was not certain if Lessa would even be a part of it. But then I realized I could fudge her birth Turn because of the way the Ruathan lives were going. And thus, she made it back in. Once she had, I was surprised that it was F'nor who focused on her, but F'lar was always meant to lead... and Lessa would not have a senior queen.
> 
> F'nor's interest in Lessa is actually mildly hinted in the early books, and could be interpreted from a few scenes that came to mind, so I ran with it.
> 
> But this is not Lessa of the books, and in a world with many queens, I could not see her brand of fierce riding gold.
> 
> Feel free to ask any questions in the comments about bits of the world that this Pern is.


End file.
